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Rack, Shack and Benny
Rack, Shack and Benny is the fourth episode of VeggieTales. This is a retelling of biblical story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, with elements from Terry Gilliam's films. Plot Countertop Intro The episode starts with Bob alone wondering where Larry is. He calls for Larry, and he replies back that he's coming. Off-camera, Larry keeps crashing into and stepping on things. When he arrives, he is wearing a yellow oven mitt with pink, purple, and white flowers on his head. Bob asks him why he's wearing an oven mitt, and Larry says that they're "all the rage" and that everyone is wearing them. Bob remarks how Larry can't see where he's going, as moments before he was just running into everything and apparently almost ran into a toaster, but Larry replies that fashion comes with a price. He recounts how earlier, he was reading Veggie Beat magizine and he read that it's the new look despite it being dangerous. Without it, he says, he wouldn't be cool. This reminds Bob of a letter from a boy named Dexter Willmington (not to be confused with Dexter from Dexter's Laboratory) of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The letter says that Dexter's friend Billy likes to watch a TV show that Dexter isn't allowed to watch, but if he doesn't watch it, Billy says he won't be cool. Bob asks Larry what Dexter should do and Larry remarks how Dexter is "in a pickle." He decides that they need Qwerty for the situation, but on the way to retrieve him, Larry falls in the sink and a spoon falls on him. Bob hurries over to see if Larry's alright, and Larry says how "they didn't mention this in Veggie Beat magazine..." Bob tells Dexter to watch a show about three boys named Rack, Shack and Benny with a problem similar to his as he tries to get Larry out of the sink. Part One An sandy, hilly landscape appears near the intricately-designed gates of a factory where George (Grandpa George), a security guard, begins to tell the story of Rack, Shack, and Benny. He mentions those aren't their real names (which are Shadrack, Meshach, and Abednigo), but are shortened so that people can remember them better. He says that the boys were brought with many other boys and girls to work for Nebby K. Nezzer (Mr. Nezzer) in his chocolate factory, but he says he'll come to that part of the story later. He looks at his clock which reads 8 o'clock, The camera then zooms in on George's security station. It is a little white hut with a calendar and a clock inside of it as he stands speaking to the audience in a white cap with a bunny on the front, a white bowtie, and his trademark white mustache. He greets himself formally and states his job description as monitoring anything that comes in or out of Nezzer Chocolates. He looks at his clock which reads 8, and he says that it's time for the morning milk delivery. Laura (Laura Carrot) flies in aboard her flying delivery truck with water skiis on the bottom to deliver the milk to the factory. She wears a white hat identical to George's. She greets George and sings that she wants to stay and chat, but that she has to hurry and deliver the milk. She whizzes away and heads towards Nezzer Chocolates over the hills in the distance. She mentions how the workers work very hard, from 8 in the morning and not taking their lunch breaks until 3, and that she only drives her truck so she can provide for her family. She hooks up her machine to the milk silo adorned in bunny rabbits as Mr. Lunt sits on top of the silo. He says she's in trouble because she was two minutes late and that he plans on telling Mr. Nezzer so he'll deduct some of her day's pay. He then descends into the factory, which is a ginormous, industrial facility where he is greeted by two worker peas, one having a work-related injury with an anvil on his head. Mr. Lunt says to get back to work, as they have no time for sympathy what with all the work they have to do. Further inside the factory, a conveyor belt pressing chocolate bunnies together is being run by Benny (Larry the Cucumber), Rack (Bob the Tomato), and Shack (Junior Asparagus) and sing with the other employees about their miserable work conditions. They lament how they used to be so happy, laughing and running, but how they now have to work all day. All the while, the chocolate bunnies are being prepped on the conveyor belt by a series of contraptions, the bad ones being shot down a shaft and into the furnace to be burned. They say how they wish to take a break, wanting vacations due to their severe schedules, but Mr. Nezzer doesn't allow them to, so they must work to send money home to their families. They all express hope about their families one day coming to join them and about their liberation from the factory as Laura boards her delivery copter to deliver the chocolate bunnies. As she flies away, a choclate bunny falls on George's work post. He talks about the bunnies as well as Nebby K. Nezzer, or just Mr. Nezzer. To George, Mr. Nezzer not a bad man, he just gets confused sometimes, what with his bunnies selling so well. He then begins to tell of how Rack, Shack, and Benny relate to all of this. Back at the factory, a bell rings and a TV screen rises in front of Rack, Shack, and Benny as they work. Mr. Nezzer gives an announcement that the factory has sold its two-millionth choclate bunny that morning, and for the next half-hour all the workers can eat as many bunnies as they want. Turning off the camera, Mr. Lunt tells Mr. Nezzer how nice it was that he let all the workers eat his bunnies, and Mr. Nezzer wishes he could see the loosk on all the workers' faces. All the workers stuff their faces with bunnies as chocolate flies everywhere. With their mouths full of bunny, Shack tells Rack and Benny that they should probably stop eating the bunnies. He expresses concern that their parents wouldn't want them eating too much candy since it's bad for them, but Rack reminds him that their parents aren't with them anymore, that they're on their own and that everyone else is eating the bunnies anyway. Shack then remembers a song that his mom would sing to him when he was an infant about standing up to peer pressure and remembering that his parents and their teachings will be with him always. Even though their parents aren't with them, Shack says, if they remember what their parents taught them, it will almost seem like they are with them. Rack and Benny tear up and change their minds. Noon stries, and after the half-hour choclate eating spree is over, Mr. Nezzer and his assistant Mr. Lunt want to see how much everyone appreciates their kindness, but upon arriving to the factory, they instead see everyone lying on the floor sick to their stomachs after eating all the bunnies. Mr. Nezzer grows upset, thinking that after the great kindness he just gave his workers, all they want to do in return is sleep and play hooky. Spying Rack, Shack, and Benny up and about, Mr. Lunt informs Mr. Nezzer that not everyone is sick and lazy. Awkwardly, the guys thanks Mr. Nezzer for his lovely gift of chocolate, and Mr. Nezzer asks for their names, which they give in full (not their nicknames). For showing their appreciation and for being hard-working and well, Mr. Nezzer promotes the boys to Junior Executives. Benny asks what that entails, and Mr. Lunt replies that the only thing they'll have to do is wear ties. The guys accept Mr. Nezzer's offer, and Mr. Nezzer tells Mr. Lunt to get them their new ties. He tells Rack, Shack, and Benny he wants to see them in his office early the next morning. George continues narrating and says that the guys abstaining from eating the chocolates paid off, even though no one else did it. He warns the audience that the guys would be in for a surprise when they visited Mr. Nezzer's office the following morning. The next day arrives, and Mr. Nezzer invites Rack, Shack, and Benny, with their new polka dot ties, into his office to show them a surprise. He mentions how he was thinking about his Nezzer bunnies and how great they are, but doesn't understand why everyone doesn't like his bunnies as much as he does. Wondering why that is, he assumes it's because his bunnies are too small, when his consumers need a big bunny that they can look up to and idolize. He reveals a small-scale model of the big bunny he wishes to erect and mentions that the real one is actually 90 feet high, his workers completed the statue earlier that morning. Mr. Nezzer says that he wanted his Junior Executives to be the first to hear of his big bunny plans, but by that afternoon, everyone will know about and worship his big bunny. During a ceremony to take place later in the day, Mr. Nezzer says that everyone will bow down and sing The Bunny Song. Benny wonders how that tune goes, prompting Mr. Nezzer to sing about how he doesn't plan on eating anything other than his bunnies and that the giant bunny is more important than anything else. Rack later asks what would happen if someone didn't agree with the lyrics in Mr. Nezzer's song and decided not to sing it. Mr. Nezzer leads the guys to the window in his office that overlooks the factory and the furnace that the bad bunnies are thrown into and says that if no one bows down and sings the bunny song, they're "bad bunnies" that will be thrust into the furnace as bad bunnies should be. As Mr. Nezzer leaves to set up for the ceremony, Rack, Shack, and Benny stare at the furnace in fright. George begins narrating again and points out how the boys are in a big pickle, risking their lives if they don't sing The Bunny Song and bow down to Nezzer's giant bunny. He pauses mid-narration as the ceremony begins. The ceremony begins in a desert-like arena surrounded by pillars clad in red banners with pictures of bunnies on them. Mr. Nezzer thanks his workers for attending and with great pleasure presents the giant bunny. Pulled up by a conveyor, a large, metallic bunny appears at the very top of the arena. Mr. Nezzer announces the time has come for everyone to bow down and sing the bunny song. The employees do as they were told, but Mr. Lunt points out how Rack, Shack, and Benny are standing up in defiance. They approach the boys on a mechanical platform and Mr. Nezzer commands them to sing. Frightened for their safety, Laura tells them to sing as well, since everyone is doing it. After some hesitation and anger on Mr. Nezzer's part, Shack sings, but not the bunny song - instead, he sings the song his mom sang to him as a baby. Laura expresses concern at his singing a different song. Soon, Rack and Benny join in and sing with Shack. At first, Mr. Nezzer loves their song and thinks it was beautifully sung, but soon realizes they didn't sing his bunny song and sends them to the furnace. He orders his large carrot guards to seize the guys as Laura watches, deciding to get into her delivery copter and follow them. The Dance of The Cucumber Larry, donned in a sombrero and a blue poncho, performs the "traditional Argentinian ballad" known as "The Dance of the Cucumber" in its original Spanish. The kitchen counter is decorated to look like an austere Spanish town, with old buildings, window plants, an alpaca, and an acoustic guitar. Bob stands by to translate. Larry sings about how great his dancing is, when he suddenly stops to sing about how Bob can't dance. Bob stops translating, angry at Larry and confused as to why he thinks he can't dance. He reminds Larry of his Uncle Louie's polka party, where he was a great dancer. As Bob grows angrier, Junior and his dad, dressed as tourists in sunglasses and Mickey Mouse hats, take pictures with Larry, praising his "authentic Argentinian garb." His dad tells them to "say peas!" as he takes their picture. The songs resumes, except Larry now sings about how well he can sing compared to Bob. As the song ends, Bob loses it and chases after Larry. Part 2 The story resumes with Rack, Shack and Benny, tied up on the convayor belt leading to the furnace. Benny tells Rack how he can't move his arms, when Rack reminds him he has none to begin with. Mr. Nezzer sings about everything he did for the boys and laments how they only disobey him in return. But before the conveyor belt carries them down to the furnace, Mr. Nezzer gives them one more chance to sing his bunny sing. They reply, however, how their parents taught the mall how to stand up for what they believe in and to always do what is right, while the bunny song contains many things that are not right, so they again decline. Mr. Nezzer says that he understands their reasoning, but condemns them as "bad bunnies!" An alarm sounds in the factory as the boys slide down to the furnace, but in the knick of time, Laura saves them with her delivery copter. Mr. Nezzer summons his mustached carrot guards to seize them as they try to escape, and as they chase Rack, Shack, Benny, and Laura on their red flying copters, one guard runs into the wall and falls into a vat of chocolate while the others fly through the ventalation shaft. In its cavernous tunnels, the gang searchs for a way out, and turning downwards, the chasing guard can't stop his copter and flies uncontrollably out of a ventilation shaft into another vat of chocolate. The gang continues to traverse the tunnels, but they wind up right back where they started in the factory. Mr. Nezzer commands Mr. Lunt to use the factory's mechanical arms to hold the delivery copter and dump Rack, Shack, and Benny into the furnace below them. Laura flees the copter unnoticed and unplugs the furnace just in time. Mr. Nezzer scolds her to plug the furnace back into the wall, or else she'll be in trouble, but juat as the guys feel safe again, the bottom of the delivery truck starts to buckle and eventually collapses, dropping the boys into the furnace. Mr. Nezzer maniaclly laughs. While he celebrates, however, the lights in the factory turn off and a tremendously bright light shines into the furnace, cascading out of its holes and creating dozens of white rays illuminating the factory. Stunned, Mr. Nezzer and Laura look on as Mr. Lunt peers into one of the furance's holes. He comments on how a fourth guy - a "really shiny" guy - is currently in the furnace along with Rack, Shack, and Benny despite the fact that they only dropped three guys in there, and none of them are burning up. Mr. Nezzer yells for Rack, Shack, and Benny to come out of the furnace, and the three emerge unscathed. Bewildered, Mr. Nezzer realizes that God saved them from burning alive. He apologizes for making the boys try to do something they did not want to do, commenting on how he forgot everything his mother taught him when he was a boy. All three boys forgive him. Mr. Nezzer wonders what he can do to make up for his wrongdoings, and Shack replies that he can sing one of their songs. All the vegetables then begin to sing "Stand Up", a song about staying true to beliefs. The whole factory joins in as the show ends with George smiling at his security post as the gates to Nezzer's Chocolates close. Conclusion Back on the countertop, Larry still lies in the sink as Bob tells us the moral of the story. From the sink, Larry sings the "What Have We Learned" song, and Bob is, as usual, annoyed, so he turns on the faucet to pour cold water on Larry. Bob tells about how standing up for what one believes in can be hard, but remembering to do what God and parents say is right makes everything worth it in the end, as God protects everyone. Bob asks Larry what he learned, and Larry replies that he learned doing something that may not be the best thing to do isn't as cool as he thought. He cries how all the things that VeggieBeat told him were cool landed him stuck in the sink, and he laments about everything he's going to miss out on if he can't find a way out of the sink. Bob instructs him to stand on one end of the spoon that fell on him while Bob jumps on the other end, propelling Larry out of the sink. Larry is flung out and thanks Bob, but realizes Bob is now stuck in the sink. Larry heads over to Qwerty for the daily verse, which can be found in 2 Thessalonians 2:15: "Stand firm, and hold to the teachings we pass on to you." Larry has trouble pronouncing "Thessalonians," and asks Bob to help him pronounce it even though Bob is still stuck in the sink. He then summarizes what Bob previously said about staying true to what God says and trusting Him to do what is right. He recommends Dexter to bring one of his videos to Billy's house the next time they have a playdate for them to watch instead. Larry closes the episode with the usual, "God made you special, and he loves you very much," leaving the countertop and Bob still stuck in the sink. Gallery Rack,ShackandBennyVHScover.jpg|1995 VHS cover Rack,ShackandBennyDVDcover2.jpg|2002 DVD cover Rack,ShackandBennyDVDcover.jpg|2003 DVD cover Category:VeggieTales episodes Category:1990s home video releases Category:1995 Category:Films, TV Shows And Wildlife Wiki